Boy's body recovered from submerged pickup in Columbia River

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A sheriff's patrol boat helps in the search for a pickup that crashed into the Columbia River Monday night. The 40-year-old driver was able to escape and swim to shore, but he was not able to save his son whose body was found about five hours later in the submerged pickup, according to police.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Divers recovered the body of a boy from a submerged pickup in the Columbia River Monday night after his father, the driver of the vehicle they were in, lost control in icy freeway conditions and went into the water, according to police.

The 7-year-old boy has been identified as Jacob Ray Arntson, according to the Oregon State Police.

According to Oregon State Police, the boy's father was driving westbound on Interstate 84 when he slid on the ice just before 4:30 p.m., crashed through the guardrail, went down a rocky embankment and into the river about one mile west of Mosier.

The father, John Arntson, 40, escaped and swam to shore but he wasn't able to save his son whose body was recovered from the submerged vehicle about five hours after the crash by members of the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office dive team, OSP said.

The driver was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, OSP said.

According to OSP, the pickup was found about 20 yards from the shore in about 40 feet of water.

The westbound lanes of Interstate 84 four miles east of Hood River were closed for about 30 to 45 minutes following the accident, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

ODOT says the conditions are ripe tonight for black ice to form on the freeway and cautions drivers to take it easy.